The CGS Graduate Enrollment and Degrees report, published annually since 1986, presents the findings of the CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees, is a joint project of the Council of Graduate Schools and the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Board.

The latest report, Graduate Enrollment and Degrees: 2011 to 2021, is the most current version of the only national survey that collects data on first-time and total graduate enrollment across all fields of master’s and research doctorate programs in the United States. It is also the only source of data on first-time and total graduate enrollment by degree level (master’s/certificates versus research doctorate) and the only national survey that collects data on applications to graduate school by broad field of study.

Key Takeaways:

  • Applications for admissions increased substantially by 8.7 percent and first-time enrollment increased by 8.9 percent between Fall 2020 to Fall 2021.
  • The rise in applications for admissions between Fall 2020 and Fall 2021 was driven by Doctoral Universities with Very High Research Activity (R1) (6.6 percent) and Doctoral Universities with High Research Activity (R2) (16.2 percent).
    • Together, these two categories of institutions accounted for 81 percent of the increases in applications between Fall 2020 and Fall 2021.
    • The overall first-time enrollment increase was driven by the 94.5 percent increase in international graduate students in Fall 2021, rebounding from the 37.4 percent decrease in Fall of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • First-time graduate enrollment among underrepresented minorities (URM) decreased 4.5 percent among American Indian/Alaska Native students, 4.1 percent among Black/African American students, and 0.9 percent among Latinx students between Fall 2020 and Fall 2021. The decline in domestic students also comes after five years of gradual increases.

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Historical Reports

Reports dating back to 2012 are available free online to administrators, faculty, and staff members of CGS member institutions. Visit the report archive to view, print or download PDFs of past reports of the Graduate Enrollment and Degrees survey.

 

Contact

For more information about the CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees, please contact Enyu Zhou.